Letters to the editor

Tuesday, January 29, 2013 - 12:01 am

Get back to work

It is time for Washington to get back to work!

Now that the president, the Senate and the House have all been sworn in for their new terms in office, it is time for the celebrations to end and the focus to shift to solving America’s debt problem. In 2008 the president promised to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term. In 2010, the newly elected House majority vowed to cut $100 billion in real spending. And it has been over 1,360 days since the Senate has passed a budget.

Americans should be outraged by these failures. Each second that goes by, Washington is borrowing $52,000 to help finance its overspending problem. Americans are tired of fiscal cliffs and critical deadlines. We are calling on members of Congress to hold town hall meetings the last week in January so that the American people can make their voices heard.

A recent Rasmussen poll showed that 62 percent of Americans want to see spending cuts across the board. The American people deserve to be a part of this conversation. We encourage everyone to call your representatives and tell them to get back to work. And they can start by having a town hall this week.

Emery McClendon

Serve your commmunity

The City Council wants to begin using the I&M Legacy Fund by taking out $2 million to repair city streets. They profess to be concerned about our city streets and that our neighborhoods are our legacy. So why are they allowing Tom Henry to spend $100,000 to move a statue?

Granted this is just a fraction of the cost of street repairs needed. But by making spending decisions based on frugality and what is in the best interests of taxpayers on a regular basis, the funds would quickly be shored up. They could start by not spending $1,600 each on solar-powered stop signs. Or the money Henry spent to put up signs telling drivers they were entering downtown Fort Wayne.

How about the suggestion from law firm Carson Boxberger, of whom Carson is a former City Council member, to grant tax abatements so they can move into Harrison Square? This looks like cronyism at it’s finest. It also gives the appearance of Boxberger making the square look like a success in exchange for tax credits.

This is more poor leadership by the City Council and a dereliction of their duties to serve the community in its best interests, not theirs.

Laura J. Smyser

The Obama appeasers

President Obama’s recent picks for Secretary of Defense (Chuck Hagel) and Secretary of State (John Kerry) call into question his judgment and wisdom and his ability to lead this country.

Hagel opposed the successful troop surge in Iraq, and he wants to prematurely pull troops out of Afghanistan. He believes in placating Communist Cuba and wants to negotiate with the terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah. Hagel is committed to negotiating with Iran on its nuclear development program. He wants to make dramatic cuts to our military, which will weaken our national security posture. Hagel will be in lockstep with Obama and will continue the policies of appeasement.

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam War veteran with medals that Swift Boat commanders stated he did not deserve, will march to Obama’s tune of appeasement. Kerry, in Congressional hearings, turned on his fellow Vietnam War veterans. He could be another apologist for the administration.

As a former Navy enlisted man and officer, I question the ability of the Obama/Hagel/Kerry threesome to lead this country from a position of strength.

Donald A. Moskowitz

Londonderry, N.H.

Not idle words

During the holiday season, beginning with Thanksgiving through Christmas, it is encouraging that the newspapers and TV have told of kind deeds, a message of concern and love for one another and a story of faith in God, especially in the midst of tragedy and trouble.

“How can we possibly fight and win this battle except by believing that Jesus is truly the Son Of God?” (1 John 5:8). Do read God’s word. “They are not just idle words for you — they are your life” (Deuteronomy 32:47).